Little White Lies: Harriet

But all she could think about – in those precious few minutes before someone would come up and force her downstairs – was last week’s, Shakespeare: Stage and Screen seminar. David Tennant was suitably becrowned, fretting and strutting his stuff upon the stage, projected on the wallscreen in front of the class and drawing everyone’s attention but hers. Instead, Harriet was noticing Adam’s hand resting on the desk between them. Each fingertip was perfectly squared off – so unlike her own – odd and manly and perfect. And she didn’t really know what that was supposed to mean.

V I T A L S T A T S______________

HARRIET SHAW || studies ENGLISH || starsign TAURUS/GEMINI cusp

Harriet is a doormat. If you called her that to her face, she’d purse her lips and explain that it’s not called being a doormat, it’s called being a good person. So if you need help with something, she’ll cancel her plans. If you’re short on rent, she’ll plunder her overdraft. If she’s given an essay to write, she’s going to write the best damn essay she possibly could. If you say you love her, she’s going to try her hardest to love you back. She’ll try to make everyone in her life happy; she’s not all that bothered about herself.

T H E N______________________

It’s the start of her final year at university, and Harriet’s feeling optimistic. She’s finally ripped off the old plaster that is Seth – her childhood boyfriend – and is rather enjoying being young, free and single. Her classes are going well – she was so excited about her final year dissertation that she started it back at the beginning of the summer holidays!

Her friends seem settled too; Leigha, in particular seems much calmer these days. That’s she’s interested in getting together with their new friend, Adam, is a marvel. Harriet thinks Adam is great, and she wants so, so much to see her best friend happy and in love.

But Adam isn’t all that she and Leigha want him to be; Harriet feels a confused mixture of disappointment and… something like relief. But when Adam confesses outright that he wants to be with her, instead, Harriet baulks. She could never do that to her best friend… or could she…?

N O W______________________

Harriet doesn’t really talk about what happened, even with her friends. It’s embarrassing to have to admit you screwed your life up that badly, lost your oldest friends because of a boy, just a boy – a boy that read her poetry, knew all the secret parts of her body and her mind – a boy who turned out to be a liar. A boy who was never worth it.

But the most embarrassing part of it all, is that Harriet still wishes she was wrong, still wishes that Adam was meant to be hers. She misses the other girls – of course she does – but if she really thinks about it, she might miss him even more.

Nothing on Earth but Nicky’s wedding would have made her be in a room with those people again. She’s been dreading this for years…